2025-2026 Events for Utah DLI German Teachers

March 12, 2026: UFLA @ UVU

April 16, 2026: German Fair at BYU

July 11-14, 2026: AATG Conference in Boston

November 20-22, 2026: ACTFL Conference in San Antonio, TX

5th Graders at Summit Academy Independence Star at the Wax Museum

At SAI's German DLI program, 5th grade students enthusiastically researched famous figures from the German-speaking world and brought them to life in a creative wax museum project. From Sophie Scholl to Carl Benz, students selected historical and contemporary figures from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. They researched important life events, major accomplishments, and interesting facts—naturally in German—and wrote biographical texts in the partner language. On presentation day, the cafeteria transformed into a living museum: dressed as “wax figures,” students stood motionless until visitors pressed a button—then they came to life and introduced their personality in the first person. This project meaningfully combined language practice, research skills, and cultural learning, demonstrating how authentic and motivating language learning can be in a DLI setting.

Opportunity to Host a Student Teacher from Germany

Updated 2026 NCSSFL-ACTFL

Can-Do Statements Released

For more than a decade, the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements have helped language learners and educators make proficiency visible, measurable, and actionable. The 2026 statements have been released and contain updated phrasing and terminology within the statements based on feedback from live focus groups and more than 1,500 online comments. Additional improvements were made such as unpacking each Can-Do Statement into its core function, context, and text type and aligning the statements with the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2024. Examples of literacy skills that support Interpretive communication and a glossary of terms provide additional support for language learners and educators.

Articles Worth Reading

Elementary/Secondary: In this compelling piece, Stacey Washburn invites DLI educators to confront a familiar paradox: even in well-intentioned dual language programs, English often overshadows the partner language — both inside and outside the classroom — leading to stronger English outcomes but weaker partner language proficiency than expected.  Drawing on decades of classroom experience and research, Washburn and her colleague share how they intentionally flipped the script to prioritize the partner language. The article outlines practical, research-informed strategies — from increasing partner language instructional time and establishing clear partner language expectations, to embedding weekly language targets across content areas and giving effective corrective feedback — all aimed at developing true bilingualism and biliteracy without sacrificing English achievement.  For educators passionate about deepening students’ language growth and equity in bilingual education, this article offers both a vision and actionable practices that make stronger partner language development not just possible, but transformative. Click here to read the article.

Elementary/Secondary: In today’s classrooms shaped by constant digital distractions, student focus isn’t a fixed “span” to be endured — it’s a skill to be designed for. This thought-provoking article from Edutopia reframes attention as something teachers can shape and strengthen through intentional instructional design rather than demand from students.  Drawing on cognitive science and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, author Maureen Magnan showcases how thoughtfully structuring lessons — with predictable resets, compact content chunks, and varied activities — supports students’ natural rhythms of attention across grade levels. She shares concrete practices like embedding brief retrieval activities every 10–15 minutes, building choice into application work, and using multimodal tasks that honor diverse strengths.  Rather than “longer listening,” the article champions purposeful lesson rhythms that enhance sustained focus, deepen engagement, and build habits of intentional attention — helping students not just pay attention, but practice attention.  Click here to read the full article.

Elementary: In this timely literacy article, Edutopia challenges the assumption that once students can decode text, comprehension will naturally follow. Just as phonics demands explicit, structured instruction early on, so too does reading for meaning — yet too often comprehension is left to chance. Drawing on insights from literacy experts, the piece highlights that comprehension involves activating background knowledge, monitoring for meaning, and applying strategic thinking throughout reading — not just recognizing words on a page. Teachers are encouraged to design purposeful activities before, during, and after reading: from prediction discussions and word exploration that tap students’ prior knowledge, to modeling metacognitive moves like checking for understanding and using fix-up strategies when meaning breaks down. Early and intentional comprehension instruction — including structured read-alouds that demonstrate how strong readers think about text — gives students the tools to interpret, engage with, and ultimately enjoy what they read. This mindset shift supports deeper literacy growth across grade levels, building on phonics foundations toward true, lifelong reading comprehension. Click here to read the full article.

Secondary:  I am intrigued by this idea of reaction videos as a new way to annotate text! If you implement this idea, please share sample videos with Michaela!

Too often, classroom videos are a passive experience: students sit and watch without truly thinking. This Edutopia article flips the script by showing how teachers can turn videos into active learning tools that deepen critical thinking, student voice, and engagement. Author Chris Bach highlights reaction videos — a strategy borrowed from social media — as an accessible way for students to annotate video texts by recording and commenting on what they see and why it matters. When students create their own reaction videos instead of just watching, they practice questioning, connecting ideas, and articulating understanding while also building tech fluency.  The article walks through practical steps for introducing this approach, from modelling reactions with familiar clips to scaffolding analytical thinking with frameworks and sentence starters. It also offers content-area ideas for adapting reaction-style video work in history, science, English, and beyond. Ultimately, the focus is on moving students from passive viewers to active meaning-makers — all while leveraging a medium they already know and enjoy. Click here to read the article.

Secondary: This insightful Edutopia video showcases a simple yet powerful routine for strengthening student understanding: Stop and Jot. In Delta Middle School’s social studies classroom, teacher Kalen Dillon weaves intentional pauses into instruction every 8–10 minutes, giving students structured opportunities to reflect, record thoughts, and organize new information right after they encounter it. These brief pauses — whether on a worksheet, a sticky note, or a quick sketch — help students slow down, make sense of the material while it’s fresh, and build deeper encoding of concepts.  Experts in learning science emphasize that without space to process new ideas, students are likely to forget them. The Stop and Jot routine honors students’ thinking by creating predictable thinking breaks that support cognition and readiness for what comes next, without the pressure of grading their reflections. Over time, this rhythm becomes familiar, making thoughtful processing a natural part of classroom learning rather than an afterthought. This strategy is a practical, brain-based way to honor student thinking, deepen comprehension, and make reflective engagement an integral part of daily instruction. Click here to see the video and read the article.

Lernmaterialien

Lernmaterialien vom PASCH-Netzwerk

Alle PASCH Materialien im Überblick gibt es hier. Man kann es nach Themenbereich oder Sprachniveau filtern. Eine wunderbare Ressource, wenn man auf der Jagd nach authentischem Material ist.

B1 Audio und Lesetext: Seitenweise. Lust aufs Lesen machen

Die Sieger des internationalen Wettbewerbs "Seitenweise" berichten von ihren Leseerfahrungen.

A2/B1 Text: Das Bücherschloss

Eine internationale Jugendbibliothek? Was ist das und was kann man dort machen?

A2 Text: Meine Lieblingsbibliothek

Schüler aus aller Welt stellen ihre Lieblingsbibliothek vor.

DAAD Updates

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research has a website with lots of information for U.S. students that are interested in studying in Germany. The website is in English and German: https://www.study-in-germany.de. Please share with interested students!

Grants and Scholarships

AATG Grants and Scholarships

AATG has multiple grants and scholarships opportunities. Please click here to see them all.

ACTFL Classroom Microgrants

This grant opportunity is available to K-12 language educators in any teaching setting. Up to 100 microgrants of US $300 each will be awarded during the 2025-26 academic year (September 2025 to May 2026). Funds may support projects such as: cultural events or activities, partnerships with community organizations, and initiatives that develop cultural competence or diverse perspectives in language instruction. 

There are three funding cycles:

• August 4 – November 12 (awards announced November 17)

• November 13 – February 4 (awards announced February 9)

• February 5 – April 29 (awards announced May 4)

Applicants must include a clear description of need, purpose, and a detailed budget (the maximum award is $300). Basic classroom supplies (e.g., markers, pencils) are excluded.  Award recipients are required to submit a short promotional video (30-45 seconds) within one week of notification.

Would You and Your Students Like to Be Featured in the April Newsletter?

Send pictures and blurbs to Michaela at mclaus-nix@utahdli.org by March  31, 2026.

Please share your hard work and the accomplishments of your students so that we can celebrate you!